Saturday, January 5, 2013

A Book and a Chat with Joe Wenke

Joe Wenke is my guest on the first show of 2013 chatting
about his book “You Got To be Kidding” the cultural arsonist’s literal reading
of “The Bible”

The oldest of eleven children in
a strict Catholic family in South Philadelphia and attended a long line of
Catholic schools including the University of Notre Dame. One morning Joe woke
up and decided he would read the Bible and when he found something funny, he’d write
about it.

Never having thought it before,
and not knowing why he woke up thinking the Bible was funny, although in truth
when taken literally, as Joe’s book proves, it is hilarious.

He went over to my kitchen table,
sat down at his laptop and downloaded an electronic version of the Bible. He got
as far as reading the Adam and Eve story, when the first sketch of his book
came into fruition. Over the next several weeks he read the complete Bible and
wrote more than 70 satirical sketches. Writing them very fast like a bunch of
emails, hardly changing a word.

The result is his debut book.. . “You
Got To Be Kidding”

About “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING: A LITERAL READING
OF THE BIBLE” (taken from the book handout”

As irreverent as the musical The Book of Mormon, “YOU’VE GOT TO
BE KIDDING: A LITERAL READING OF THE BIBLE” is an engaging, provocative and
often hilarious investigation into the bestselling book of all time. Written to
“cause trouble” and provoke deeper thought during a time when religious
fundamentalism is gaining strength around the world, Wenke, a marketing
executive, former corporate speechwriter and keen observer of human
gullibility, lures readers out of their mental closets and tempts them to more
closely examine the stories they think they know about the Bible.

Drawing upon the same pool of incendiary and cerebral humor as
Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and the late, great George Carlin, YOU’VE GOT TO BE
KIDDING follows a trail of talking angels, fratricidal siblings, divinely
sanctioned massacres and surprised lepers from the Old to the New Testament
pointing out the impossible, the illogical and the unrealistic. Among the
stories laid bare, are:

·
Noah’s Ark: How big was that boat—and who cleaned up after the animals
and what about the fish?

Jonah and the Whale: Just how does one survive being digested for three
days?

The Three Wise Men: If they were so wise, why did they get lost?

Jesus, Miracle Worker: Where did Jesus learn how to perform miracles—at
Hogwarts?

YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING is a call for humor to restore
our sanity and our ability to think for ourselves. Just as it was written in
the Bible—or was it?

The book
is a fun read and Joe already has a follow up completed

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Joe Wenke

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About the Show

About Me

Born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Barry, also known as
“Storyheart”, left his beloved England in 2000,moving to the USA.

Better
known for his short romance stories on the net and in his book “Stories
from the Heart”.Barry is popular for narrating his stories on local TV
or as a guest on other media stations,where his whit, oratory, and
old-fashioned English charm make him a popular interviewee.